by When the Bariatric Program Coordinator at Ocala Health told us, in our pre-op class, that if you can avoid dumping, you’ll be doing yourself a HUGE favor, she wasn’t kidding!
Last night, I had recently eaten some grits with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste, and gave it about an hour before I tried drinking my 2nd protein shake for the day. I followed all the instructions I was given multiple times, but that didn’t seem to matter to my new stomach. I took one small sip of the shake, and within seconds my chest and stomach area were in more sharp, pulsing, constant pain than I’ve ever felt before. I’m just glad I knew what was going on, because otherwise, Sharon would have been rushing me to the hospital.
I’ve read many places where people describe the pain from dumping as feeling like they were having a heart attack and about to die! I’ve thought many times that had to be an exaggeration. Tonight, I was proven wrong. Even though my heart is very healthy, and I’ve never had a heart attack, that’s exactly how I would describe it. For the better part of 30 minutes, all I could do was stand here, leaning on the kitchen counter for support, praying my stomach would vomit out the last thing I had, the shake. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of heaving, crying in pain, and wish for anything to take the pain away, I puked, and the shake came back up. Within about 2 minutes, the pain was gone, and I was ready to move forward with my evening. Although, once that episode ended, I had no more energy for anything. Sharon ended up going to bed with me at about 9:30 p.m., which is much earlier than usual for us.
Even with this dumping episode, and the tremendous pain associated with this recovery, I’d still do it all over again. After years of fighting to lose weight unsuccessfully, a lot because of the side effects of medication I’m taking, gastric bypass surgery has given me a way to get healthy. In just 3 1/2 weeks, I’ve lost 33.4 pounds! I’m down from 348.8 to 315.4!
If you or anyone you know is considering, thinking about, getting ready for, or has had bariatric surgery, I’d love to make contact. My goal with this blog, while keeping me accountable to my new healthy lifestyle, is to enable and encourage people who need this surgery or have a loved one who does. You can message me directly at steve@ucfknightsteve.com.
